Cunningham chuckled at Slay's ignorance, but the coordinator spoke glowingly of the rookie's football acumen.

"If you talk to him about football, he was really well-coached," Cunningham says. "This kid knew the game coming in. I kept quizzing him. He knew things that a lot of coaches don't know."

Slay, a second-round draft pick, is coming off meniscus surgery but has the size, speed and athleticism the Lions' putrid secondary desperately needs. Along with safety Glover Quin, Slay is the biggest addition to a defense that must make great strides if the Lions plan to make good on all the offseason bloviating.